About this project

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Biking is healthy and fun. But it's no fun when bikes and cars collide. Car and bike collisions account for one out of three bicycle accidents, but account for a majority of cyclist fatalities (http://tinyurl.com/o85maa2).

The concept for the TurnCycle bike signal was born out of over two decades of work in physical therapy, where Shelly Fern saw patients who had been severely injured while riding bicycles. She thought a product that increased visibility and communication from bicyclists to motorists would improve bike safety and potentially reduce crashes and injuries.

The TurnCycle bike signal consists of a wristband that wirelessly transmits traditional biking hand gestures to an LED display unit mounted on a bicycle or worn by the rider. It provides intuitive, illuminated signaling for turns and stops, without distracting wires or switches. TurnCycle is an affordable safety device for riders of all levels, providing bright, clear user-intention signaling, for a safer ride.

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Hand signals alone aren't always clear to surrounding motorists. Leaving the hand up for a prolonged period of time leaves the bicyclist with only one hand on the handlebars.

Mounted lights vastly improve bike visibility. However, they can be difficult to control, require extra switches and constant input from the bicyclist, and detract from the use of proper bike hand signals.

Wireless communication makes signaling intuitive

TurnCycle improves bike safety by combining use of traditional hand signals and mounted lights in an intuitive interface. It includes a small wrist sensor that "reads" traditional hand signals and transmits them via Bluetooth, and an LED panel that receives transmissions and brightly displays a turning or stopping animation, with no further input from you, making your ride safer.

Sweeping TurnCycle arrows keep signaling as you put your hands back on the handlebars

While the rider performs traditional hand signals, the TurnCycle does the rest through wireless technology. Bright, sweeping LED arrows on the display unit are activated via Bluetooth and immediately indicate right and left turns, as well as stops. The cyclist can put his/her hands back on the handlebars, but the signal keeps sweeping for another 25 seconds, just like the turn signal on an automobile. A solid flashing signal indicates stops the same way. An audible signal lets the rider know the signal is finished. Communication from cyclists is clear, unmistakable, and completely automatic for the rider.

Cyclists who travel distances over roads, such as commuters, shoppers, and urban dwellers, appreciate TurnCycle’s intuitive signal assistance and feel more confident in their day-to-day travels.

Advanced electronics, including Bluetooth wireless communication, a multi-axis accelerometer and an internal LED array, work together to communicate a bicyclist's hand-signaling gestures. The rider needs to do nothing other than his/her traditional hand signals for turning right, turning left, or stopping. TurnCycle "reads" the gestures and amplifies the rider's intention through bright LED animations, multiplying visibility and communication in a seamless experience.

Absolutely! TurnCycle is ideal for kids. Not only does it help with their visibility, it also encourages them to signal better - knowing that as they do, they're controlling the TurnCycle bike signal. Signaling becomes fun for kids, and biking becomes safer for kids!

Besides commuting and kids' bike safety, TurnCycle can help in any situation where higher visibility and signal augmentation is needed. Motorcyclists, scooter riders, Segway riders, snowmobilers and even joggers find it increases their confidence of being seen and their signaling being understood.

Todd Allen, eight-time Ironman finisher from Alabama, endorses TurnCycle as making bike riders more visible and safer- very important when you are training at all hours.

Jonny Rock Bikes from Hopkins, MN endorsed the product (see video).

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TurnCycle has been endorsed by Police Chief Scott Nadeau, an officer with 30 years of experience as a peace officer.

Besides their reward, everyone who backs the TurnCycle project will also get one vote in a survey to determine which city gets a selection of TurnCycle kits for their police force. The city with the most backer votes will have 25 TurnCycle units with wristband and rear seat mounts sent to that city’s bicycle police squad.

We are a dedicated team of product designers, seeking out needs and applying technology solutions. We love hearing from you, so stay in touch!

Shelly at June tradeshow

Shelly Fern has been a practicing physical therapist in Minnesota for over 20 years. She was inspired to create the TurnCycle signaling device by patients who experienced cycling accidents caused by poor visibility and poor communication with cars. With TurnCycle, Shelly hopes to accentuate and emphasize traditional cycling hand signals rather than replace them, as she believes the more ways a bicyclist is seen the better. Shelly is an avid bicyclist and, as a self-described foodie, appreciates the calorie-burn and physical outlet a long ride provides. Shelly is the majority owner of Gesture Controlled Products.

Designing TurnCycle bike signal at Solid

John Jancsek (above left, in blue) is the Founder and CEO of Solid Design Solutions, Inc., a product development, design, and engineering firm located in Mounds View, Minnesota. In business since 1997, Solid provides product development services from conceptualization through production and beyond. Solid is well-positioned to bring TurnCycle to market, having helped bring numerous ideas to life, including wireless products such as the Jamstik guitar controller, a clinical cart for Alaska Federal Health Care Access Network use, and an identification scanner for Identix Corporation. A mechanical engineer educated at the University of Minnesota and the Queensland University of Technology, John is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

The successful funding of TurnCycle will mean that we can move TurnCycle to production, and then think of other ways to improve safety and convenience through gesture-controlled devices. As supporters, you will be driving (or cycling) our success and hope you will continue to be part of the adventure!

The TurnCycle prototype Sept 2015

Ready to be a part of our Kickstarter story? Thank you for your support! We want to make the whole process as simple as possible for you, from making a pledge to getting your reward.

1. Click “Back this project”

2. Enter a $ Amount, and Choose a Reward

Each backer can choose ONE (1) reward level. You can manage your pledge and change your reward level at any time before the end of the campaign.

3. Click “Continue to next step”

4. Enter your account and payment information

5. Stay in Touch

Once you have made your pledge, message us with any questions or comments you have! You'll get an email with weekly project updates and you'll be in the know about production status, inside news, and more. Follow us on Facebook (http://tinyurl.com/turncyclefb) and Twitter (@turncyclebike) and please share/retweet!

6. Relax

After the project ends we will send you an official backer survey to collect your shipping information and mount choice(s). You will also be able to vote for your favorite city's Police Department to receive 25 free TurnCycle Bike Sets. Until then, help us spread the word about our campaign when you can, and know that you've got an awesome piece of technology coming your way.

Risks and challenges

We are a strong design team experienced in minimizing risks in the product development process.

Product Related
This product has a risk related to fine-tuning gesture sensing, so it responds to traditional hand gestures but not bumps or other movements. We will minimize this through iterative component testing and firmware refinements.

Packaging Related
There are always the risks of shipping anomalies, such as packaging failures, addressing errors, and delivery errors. We will minimize this by clear communication, test shipping, and monitoring of supply chain links.

Supplier Related
An experienced supplier relationship is being leveraged in order to manufacture a new sector of gesture-controlled fitness wearables, so while this is a risk for ensuring quality throughout high-volume production, Solid has worked with the supplier previously. We are monitoring performance and will continue to do so.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $3,000 or more
About $3,000

TOP GEAR LEVEL
3 Days/3 Nights Bicycle Tour for Two*
with Team TurnCycle in Sonoma County, California.
Includes COUPLE'S LEVEL reward, plus 2 T-shirts & 2 Water Bottles
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Sunday to Wednesday, partially-guided, 6 meals included, bike rentals included for each
*Airfare, transportation to tour venue, and gratuities not included